Alex's M20D (continuous thread)

[RLCarter]

7 minutes ago, Raptor05121 said:

Robert, what is your friends name?

Elizabeth but goes by Liz or Beth as well 

[markgrue]

On 3/15/2020 at 7:48 PM, Raptor05121 said:

I'm sorry for lack of pictures but three of us spent 3 days doing this annual with a time crunch for my upcoming move. We started off with overhauling the nose gear. I removed the entire truss and removed the bushings from all the joints. Cleaned the dirt/grime from all the crevasses and lubed and rebuilt it. New LASAR steering horn really tightened things up! After the nose was back together, we removed the old pucks and then fought to get the new ones in. I found a local Mooniac who had the OEM tools and that helped us press the new donuts in. What weird, is I have the SB tracking spacer but we COULD NOT get it on. With the tool at max compression, a breaker bar twisting it, we couldn't compress the donuts enough to get the collar and spacer on. So we elected to skip the SB spacer and just installed the collar. Surprisingly, she taxis and lands fine! No more "8 second ride", even without the spacer! My donuts were dated from 1999 so they were also due. The mains were easy to do with simply the weight of the plane.

Then we noticed a faint smell of fuel eminating from the engine bay. Running the boost pump gave us a tiny drip coming from behind the engine. Removed the battery, battery box and found the culprit- fuel line from the gascolator to the engine-driven fuel pump had a pinhole leak.

 

Whoever made this one years ago had safety wire wound around it to hold some makeshift insulation on it. We took it out, removed the fittings and fashioned a proper replacement.

 

Proper AD's taken care of, buttoned up and everything else done, she was ready to go. I can't begin to explain how bad she needed new knees. Grass landings and takeoffs are not anywhere near as bad as they used to and I don't have to taxi around with dancing feet like a taildragger with the worn-out steering horn.

Next week I'm loading up my most precious belongings, an air mattess and relocating to Illinois for 6 months- I got a job flying 172s for an outfit doing aerial survey.

Where abouts in Illinois?  I am near centralia il now.

 

Mark

[Raptor05121]

On 3/20/2020 at 8:35 PM, markgrue said:

Where abouts in Illinois?  I am near centralia il now.

 

Mark

Hi Mark I'm in Springfield now

[Andy95W]

Enjoy your new job, Alex.  Nothing beats getting paid to fly someone else's airplanes!

[tmo]

If he's flying low enough he just might ;-)

[tigers2007]

I usually get enough signal to FaceTime at 5000agl and below.

[markgrue]

21 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

Hi Mark I'm in Springfield now

I was just up there a couple weeks ago.  Flew in to get my IA card.

Mark

[Raptor05121]

So I guess I'll update this. I flew the Mooney up to Winchester, TN this Tuesday on my way to Springfield, IL. Nice little airport for cheap gas but it wasn't long before the weather started closing in. I tied the plane down and covered it. I blew up my air mattress in the FBO and had cheese crackers for dinner since Uber wasn't running. Soon my phone was going off for tornado warnings. The winds got BAD. light poles were twisting in the wind. Power to the entire city goes out. I ran out and put more tie-downs on the plane and sat in darkness as the wind picked up to 45+ mph and got REALLY scared if she was going to get hit or not. The building was creaking and shaking. I sat by a window with my pulse skyrocketing for about 40 minute until it calmed down. The next morning, staff came in and confirmed my suspicions- a tornado touched down less than a mile from the airport. A quick check of the controls and systems turned out the Mooney fared fine.

The next morning, I filed and climbed out of a thin overcast layer and finished the next 3 hours in smooth air. Made me wish Rosen made visors for the older birds. I used my laminated checklist as a visor for several hours

I arrived into Springfield and quickly met my new coworkers. We're flying 172s for 6 months and it wasn't long before the Mooney was pressed into action- we needed to head east to Indianapolis to retrieve one of the Cessnas

Two Cessnas and the Mooney in their new home for the time being. We still need to go to Iowa next week to get two other planes (yes I've already warned them about the nose truss)

 

[Brian E.]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2020 at 11:12 PM, Raptor05121 said:

Hi Mark I'm in Springfield now

Congrats Alex!  Thanks for updating this thread--always learn something from you keeping your Mooney strong.

[Brian E.]

10 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

So I guess I'll update this. I flew the Mooney up to Winchester, TN this Tuesday on my way to Springfield, IL. Nice little airport for cheap gas but it wasn't long before the weather started closing in. I tied the plane down and covered it. I blew up my air mattress in the FBO and had cheese crackers for dinner since Uber wasn't running. Soon my phone was going off for tornado warnings. The winds got BAD. light poles were twisting in the wind. Power to the entire city goes out. I ran out and put more tie-downs on the plane and sat in darkness as the wind picked up to 45+ mph and got REALLY scared if she was going to get hit or not. The building was creaking and shaking. I sat by a window with my pulse skyrocketing for about 40 minute until it calmed down. The next morning, staff came in and confirmed my suspicions- a tornado touched down less than a mile from the airport. A quick check of the controls and systems turned out the Mooney fared fine.
 

 

I arrived into Springfield and quickly met my new coworkers. We're flying 172s for 6 months and it wasn't long before the Mooney was pressed into action- we needed to head east to Indianapolis to retrieve one of the Cessnas

 

 

 

 

 

Ohhhh damn----I hate tornados after living in Tornado Alley for a while.  Glad you're ok. 

 

You must have dropped the anchor to allow the Cessna to keep up with you

[EricJ]

16 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

So I guess I'll update this. I flew the Mooney up to Winchester, TN this Tuesday on my way to Springfield, IL. Nice little airport for cheap gas but it wasn't long before the weather started closing in. I tied the plane down and covered it. I blew up my air mattress in the FBO and had cheese crackers for dinner since Uber wasn't running. Soon my phone was going off for tornado warnings. The winds got BAD. light poles were twisting in the wind. Power to the entire city goes out. I ran out and put more tie-downs on the plane and sat in darkness as the wind picked up to 45+ mph and got REALLY scared if she was going to get hit or not. The building was creaking and shaking. I sat by a window with my pulse skyrocketing for about 40 minute until it calmed down. The next morning, staff came in and confirmed my suspicions- a tornado touched down less than a mile from the airport. A quick check of the controls and systems turned out the Mooney fared fine.

Glad you and the airplane got through that alright!

 

Quote

The next morning, I filed and climbed out of a thin overcast layer and finished the next 3 hours in smooth air. Made me wish Rosen made visors for the older birds. I used my laminated checklist as a visor for several hours

Get some of the static-cling tint, which you can usually get off-the-shelf at Wal-Mart.   It's cheap, and a roll lasts a billion years by just cutting small squares to move around stick where you need them.   I have a strip of this across the top of the windscreen, and then keep a few random squares around, stuck to the windows wherever, so that passengers or myself can move them around as needed.   I use them all the time, they make life *much* better.   They seem to last about a year until you need to cut another piece out of the roll and make a new one.

Edit:  The insta-cling stuff like this.   I think I've been using the 20%, but a different brand:

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/gila-static-cling-20-vlt-automotive-window-tint-diy-easy-install-glare-control-privacy-24-x-78-js246/4160394-p

Edited March 27, 2020 by EricJ

[MikeOH]

Sorry, but the picture of that GIANT tug, and LOOONG tow bar, hooked to a Mooney scares the CRAP out of me

[tigers2007]

Sorry, but the picture of that GIANT tug, and LOOONG tow bar, hooked to a Mooney scares the CRAP out of me

Didn’t he just install an improved steering truss? Is that more durable for towing?

[RLCarter]

1 hour ago, tigers2007 said:

Didn’t he just install an improved steering truss? Is that more durable for towing?

Not with a 7 ft lever (tow bar)

[Tcraft938]

On 3/26/2020 at 10:29 PM, Raptor05121 said:

So I guess I'll update this. I flew the Mooney up to Winchester, TN this Tuesday on my way to Springfield, IL. Nice little airport for cheap gas but it wasn't long before the weather started closing in. I tied the plane down and covered it. I blew up my air mattress in the FBO and had cheese crackers for dinner since Uber wasn't running. Soon my phone was going off for tornado warnings. The winds got BAD. light poles were twisting in the wind. Power to the entire city goes out. I ran out and put more tie-downs on the plane and sat in darkness as the wind picked up to 45+ mph and got REALLY scared if she was going to get hit or not. The building was creaking and shaking. I sat by a window with my pulse skyrocketing for about 40 minute until it calmed down. The next morning, staff came in and confirmed my suspicions- a tornado touched down less than a mile from the airport. A quick check of the controls and systems turned out the Mooney fared fine.

The next morning, I filed and climbed out of a thin overcast layer and finished the next 3 hours in smooth air. Made me wish Rosen made visors for the older birds. I used my laminated checklist as a visor for several hours

I arrived into Springfield and quickly met my new coworkers. We're flying 172s for 6 months and it wasn't long before the Mooney was pressed into action- we needed to head east to Indianapolis to retrieve one of the Cessnas

Two Cessnas and the Mooney in their new home for the time being. We still need to go to Iowa next week to get two other planes (yes I've already warned them about the nose truss)

 

Sorry m, not the greatest picture. Took a friend for a ride on a sunny day. After landing he starts drawing and measuring, doesn’t say why. Two weeks later he shows up with nice plastic visors he made at his business and the just clamp to center post so no paperwork needed. They work awesome.  I will contact him to see if he will make you a set

[tigers2007]

That video is about reptiles.

[carusoam]

3 hours ago, tigers2007 said:

That video is about reptiles.

Probably best fits in the dog of the year contest... 

The problem with reptiles... they can’t keep you warm on a cold winter’s night...

-a-

[Raptor05121]

Nothing new about the Mooney, but I'm flying a 172 with internal "tip" tanks. 88 gal on board, something like 11 hours endurance. This is a daily flight for me:

i just surpassed 750 hours total time in my logbook. I'm hoping to finish the season around October with at least 1200 hours, really pushing forward to 1500. Of course being that I'm no longer paying to fly, my mind has been rolling about the possibility of selling the Mooney...

[tigers2007]

This must require some serious diet planning. I have yet to use these:

[Keith20EH]

PM me if you get stuck up around BMI or PIA, not doing much lately except playing with my E...and CC...

[Raptor05121]

5 hours ago, tigers2007 said:

This must require some serious diet planning. I have yet to use these:
 

Yes, very. Limit liquid intake the night before. Also taking high-fiber diet to make sure you can be as "light" as possible before boarding. Protein breakfast with nut bars for brunch in the air. No caffeine, and can drink water after first scheduled urination in the air. I take off at 8am, usually on the ground by 5 depending on weather. Took a tip from a friend and got an apple juice jug. People watching me clean out the plane won't be the wiser and is...larger mouthed for us Mooney guys

3 hours ago, Keith20EH said:

PM me if you get stuck up around BMI or PIA, not doing much lately except playing with my E...and CC...

Will do! We actually have a plane in BMI we are moving around. I need to get an IFR recert done and heard there was a guy there? I need to come up

[EricJ]

Yeah, you're gonna build time fast with those kinds of missions.    Should be good experience!

 

[Brian E.]

8 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

i just surpassed 750 hours total time in my logbook. I'm hoping to finish the season around October with at least 1200 hours, really pushing forward to 1500. Of course being that I'm no longer paying to fly, my mind has been rolling about the possibility of selling the Mooney...

Blasphemy!  Never sell...enjoy and appreciate the Mooney!

 

I gather you don't have an AP on the Cessna.  That's a lot of flying...

Congrats again and don;t sell the Mooney.

[gsxrpilot]

11 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

i just surpassed 750 hours total time in my logbook. I'm hoping to finish the season around October with at least 1200 hours, really pushing forward to 1500. Of course being that I'm no longer paying to fly, my mind has been rolling about the possibility of selling the Mooney...

I'll take the contrary opinion here... yes, sell the Mooney. She got you here, and has completed her job. You can now go to work and fly the shit out of those Cessnas. Get your 1500 hours and the ATP that goes with it. When you get that right seat for one of the majors, you can get yourself a nice FO's M20J. A few years later when you get the left seat, sell the J and get yourself a proper Captain's Acclaim Ultra.

[carusoam]

Executing a good life requires adjusting your flight plan as you go...

Great to start with a C...

Some other Mooney will come next...

A retirement Mooney is a dream well executed...

 

Never give up on the Mooney, life...   

 

How did you execute such a perfect pattern, for sooo many hours?
 

that goes on the resume under precision flying for hours...

Best regards,

-a-